


As Seasons Change

by heygirl



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Babies, F/F, Family Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-09-14 03:05:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16904925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heygirl/pseuds/heygirl
Summary: Sara and Ava's evolution as a family.Basically just little glimpses into Sara and Ava's lives as parents.





	1. Arrival

The day their daughter is born is the craziest day of their lives. And it's also the most wonderful.

It starts off like any other day. They wake up to the sound of a phone buzzing.

"Babe, please turn that off." Ava says, sleep thick in her voice.

The sound continues.

"Babe! The phone." Ava tries again.

This time there's a groan as Sara shifts on her side of the bed and blindly moves her hand towards the night stand, succeeding in turning off the alarm. 

They both lay there for a couple minutes before Ava moves to start getting out of bed and ready for the day. They hadn't planned on doing anything specific, not when Ava was just days away from her due date, but they want to spend the day hanging out with each other before a whole new person joined their family.

Sara's hand shoots out of the blankets and wraps gently around Ava's wrist. 

"Don't you want to sleep in just a little longer? We're going to need all the sleep we can get before the baby comes. Like we won't even sleep for a good while after she gets here." Sara says.

Ava knows that her wife is just being a little lazy but she gives in and slides under the blanket. She slides into the embrace that Sara offers and stays contently in her wife's arms as she slow drifts off again. 

She's awoken half an hour later with a vaguely sharp pain in her back, a pain that she'd been feeling since the night before. It's not enough of an issue that she needs to tell Sara but she takes note of it as she begins to ready herself for the day. 

"Sara, let's get up. I'm craving waffles for breakfast." Ava says, pushing Sara's hair out of her face and placing a gentle kiss on her wife's forehead. 

She showers as her wife gets changed and puts on her make up and soon, they're headed to the door and out to a diner around the corner from their place. 

 

\------

 

Two hours later and they're back at their house and relaxing against each other on the couch while watching a movie when Ava notices that she's probably in labor and should probably tell Sara. 

She had been having pain in her back and across her stomach that were likely contractions since the night before, only then they had been very irregular and nowhere near as close to each other as would indicate that it's time to go to the hospital. By this morning, they had certainly gotten closer together but they were not very strong and they were about every 15 minutes, still within the range that Ava felt fine with. During their breakfast and small walk around the city, the contractions seem to have sped up because they were closing in on one every 12 minutes and they were getting more powerful. 

"Sara, I think I might be in labor." Ava says, looking at Sara out of the corner of her eye.

Sara stares at her for a few seconds before she utters "Wait, what?"

"I think I -"

"No, I heard you. I just am processing what you said." Sara interrupts.

"We should probably start getting ready to head to the birthing center soon."

"Wait, how close are your contractions?" 

Ava winces. 

"Don't be mad babe, but I think I've been having contractions since like last night."

"Isn't that something you think you should have shared with me, my love?" Sara says, slight hurt in her voice. 

Ava looks guilty.

"I just didn't want us to get excited for nothing if it turned out to be Braxton-Hicks contractions."

"Okay. But for future reference, if we do this again, please tell me sooner. I want to help you and be there with you every step of the way." Sara says gently. 

"Of course."

 

\------

 

Once they're checked in and shown to their room, Ava has to undergo an exam by her doctor to see how far along she's dilated and they're given a rough estimate of how long it'll be until she moves into the second stage of labor where she gets to push. 

"You know, this kind of sucks." Ava says as she struggles through one of the stronger contractions she's had that day. 

Sara is behind her on the bed, rubbing her back and letting her wife squeeze her hand. 

Labor progresses slowly due to the fact that it's their first baby. The doctor checks in with them every now and then and gives them suggestions on how to deal with the pain and possible ways to speed up the dilation.

Ava is sitting up in bed, hair up in a messy bun, determinedly trying to deal with the stronger and longer contractions she's been having. The doctor had come in a half hour early to break her water by hand in hopes that it would help move things along faster. It made Ava feel like she had just peed her pants, but she definitely feels the effects in the strength of her contractions. 

"Sara, help me out of bed. I need to take a walk."

Ava leans heavily on her wife as soon as her feet touch the ground and they slowly start walking the length of the room. She knew that giving birth to her baby wasn't going to be the most exciting thing in the world but it really hurt a little more than she had anticipated and she didn't want Sara to know just how much she was suffering because her wife would only feel bad about not being able to make her feel better.

They were two laps around their room when Ava stopped and let out a low, soft groan. 

"How can I help you, my love?" Sara asks as Ava turns into her arms and puts her hands around her neck.

"Can you please like massage my back? It's killing me."

Sara begins kneading her hands in her wife's lower back and swaying softly. Her wife seems to appreciate the gesture as she starts to release some of the tension in her body and leans more into Sara's strong body. 

 

\------

 

A few hours pass and Ava loses the breakfast she had been so excited to eat that morning. The contractions are so strong that she returns to bed because her legs keep giving out on her. She instinctively knows that she's nearing the end of the stage of dealing with contractions without pushing.

"Sara, babe, I need you to call the doctor. I feel like I need to push."

"Oh wow, this is really happening." Sara says, as though Ava hasn't been in labor for hours upon hours.

"I heard someone was calling for me" the doctor, Emily, says as she walks into the room. "Let's get your legs in these stirrups and see what's going on."

Sara helps Ava move down the bed and into position for the doctor to conduct her exam.

"Oh yeah, looks like we'll be having a baby within the next hour or so. You're completely dilated and ready to push, Ava." the doctor informs them.

Ava nods and looks at Sara, to see her smiling with a tender look in her eyes.

"Thank God. Let's do it." Ava says. 

The doctor instructs Ava to scoot to the very bottom of the bed so that she is right up against the edge. Sara joins Ava on the bed and situates herself behind her wife, legs spreading out on either side of her wife. 

"So Sara, I'm going to have you grab Ava's left leg and pull it back when she starts pushing. You should be able to look over her shoulder and see the action from your position if you'd like. Ava, I'm going to have nurse Mary hold your other leg. Once your contractions start, you'll push for ten seconds. When those 10 seconds are over, you're going to have a small break and then we're going to do it again, okay?" the doctor instructs.

It is absolute hell for Ava, even with the wonderful support of her wife. Her body feels like it's been beaten to a pulp and she feels like she's on fire. 

She pushes and pauses for a small break and pushes and pauses, round and round, until she's pretty sure that it's doing nothing to help her bring her daughter into the world. 

She's in the middle of pushing during another contraction when she swears that all the pain is starting to concentrate all in the lower half of her body.

"Oh my god." Ava practically shouts, squeezing her wife's hand tighter. 

"Okay, Ava. That's good. That pain you're feeling is your baby crowning. If you reach down, you'll be able to feel her head." the doctor informs her. 

"Babe, oh my god, look. She's right there." Sara says, guiding their joined hands down to where their daughter is starting to make her way into the world.

Ava feels soft hair mixed with a sticky substance and she's just about ready to cry. When she found out that she was a clone, she never thought that she would have any semblance of this kind of life, a life with a wife and daughter, but here she is, struggling to help her baby make its way out of her body. 

Tears spring to her eyes and she wipes them away, as she has a renewed sense of purpose in trying to birth her daughter.

"Babe, I am so proud of you. You're so amazing." Sara whispers softly in ear. Ava turns to see her wife holding back tears of her own.

She pushes harder on the next contraction and can feel her body stretching to accommodate her baby. She disentangles her hand from the rail and reaches down to hold her baby's head as she pushes again and feels her daughter slowly inch out.

"Okay, Ava. Stop pushing." the doctor says. 

Ava barely registers the voice as she follows the command. She's so tired at this point that she just wants the baby out.

"On the next couple contractions, the baby's shoulders are going to be coming through and it's probably going to be the most difficult but once they're out, then your baby is going to be out. So I'm going to need 100% effort for the next few minutes and you'll have a baby. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good to me." Ava replies, exhaustion coloring her voice. 

For the first three contractions, she doesn't feel so much as a shift in her baby's position and she's got tears leaking out of her eyes because the doctor was right, these are the most intense contractions she's felt all day. Sara kisses her face and wipes her tears as she whispers words of encouragement and love into Ava's ear.

The fourth contraction seems to spark some movement and Ava can tell with the next contraction that her baby will be born.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. 

Her baby's shoulders slip out, followed by her body and Ava lets out a breathy yell as her baby leaves her body. 

Immediately, the baby is lifted into the air and placed on her stomach. Both her hands and Sara's fall on their daughter's back as they cry tears of joy. Seconds later, their baby lets out sharp cries.

Ava looks to Sara and is smothered in kisses and thanks before Sara turns to their daughter and softly kisses her forehead. 

Ava looks down to fully take in their daughter before the doctor removes her for her exams and shots. Her face is swollen, her eyes are shut, and she's covered in what feels like goo but she's so beautiful in Ava's eyes. 

"Ava, she's beautiful. I love you two so much." Sara says, crying softly.

\------

 

After their baby undergoes the routine examinations for a newborn, she gets swaddled and returned to her mothers, who are in complete awe.

The baby lays content and asleep in Ava's arms as Ava lays nestled in Sara's arms. Neither mother can take their eyes of the baby girl.

Sara strokes their baby's cheek gently before tucking Ava's messy hair behind her ear and kissing her cheek.

"You're so badass for this. You brought our daughter into this world and I couldn't love you more." Sara says.

Ava turns her head, kissing her wife's lips and shooting her a tired smile. 

"I love you too."

Ava carefully transfers the baby into Sara's arms and leans her head against her wife's shoulder. Two minutes later, she's asleep, exhausted from the day, and Sara finds that she doesn't mind. She is content to keep an eye on her little family while they get some rest.


	2. First day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> their first day at home with their baby.

"I really can't believe they just, like, let us go home with her." Sara says.

"What?"

Ava's exhausted so she thinks that maybe she didn't hear her wife correctly.

"They really just let us leave the hospital with a newborn baby." her wife says.

"Yes. As opposed to what, babe? They were just going to keep her and we would visit every week?" Ava says jokingly.

"I don't know. It's weird that you can just have a baby and then you're responsible for it forever basically." Sara says.

"That's usually what happens when people have babies, Sara." Ava replies, reaching over to the carrier their daughter was sleeping it and gently disentangling her little arms from the straps and lifting her out. She places her on her chest as she leans back into the couch and looks over at her wife. Sara is looking back at her. 

"So, what should we do now?" Sara asks.

"Well, they say that when the baby sleeps, the parents should sleep. But I'm kind of happy to just sit here and hold her." Ava shrugs.

"I'll put in a movie and we can all sit here together."

They're only 15 minutes into the movie when the baby starts to stir. Sara takes her from her wife's arms and starts gently bouncing her, hoping to get her daughter to sleep a little longer. It's in vain as the little girl starts letting out tiny, mewling cries. 

"I think it's her feeding time. It's been a while since she's ate." Ava says.

They both stand and walk to the nursery. Ava gets settled in the rocking chair while Sara grabs the nursing pillow and let's Ava situate it before passing her the baby. The nurses had shown Ava how to best breastfeed her daughter but this was her first time doing it without any medical professionals present.

She guides her daughter's head to her breast and winces slightly as she latches on. Sara notices and gently squeezes Ava's knee.

"It's nothing really. She's just a little rough when it comes to feeding." Ava says. 

Sara settles on the floor close to her two girls and reaches up to softly caress her daughter's hand that clutching onto the top of Ava's shirt. The baby makes a tiny noise as she moves to grab Sara's finger instead. 

Once the baby is done feeding, Sara lifts her baby to her shoulder and walks around the room, trying to get her to burp while Ava fixes her bra and shirt. 

"Look, baby." Sara says, pointing to the letters that spell out Laurel over the crib. "That's your name. It was mama's sister's name and now it's yours."

The baby lets out a tiny burp and snuggles into Sara's neck, full and content. 

"Let's go to the bedroom. I could go for a nap right now. It looks like she can too." Ava says, nodding her head to the baby.

They make their way across the short hall to their bedroom, Sara swaying slightly to encourage Laurel to close her eyes. Ava changes out of the clothes she wore to leave the hospital and puts on one of Sara's baggier t shirts and slides under the covers, opening her arms for the baby and giving Sara the chance to change as well.

Sara removes her shirt and jeans and switches for a pair of short sleep shorts and a tank top. She hears her wife groan.

"If I wasn't so tired right now and if I didn't just give birth to your baby two days ago, I would totally jump you. You look so good right now." Ava sighs. 

Sara smirks as she walks up to the bed and slides in beside her wife and daughter.

"I mean, she's asleep right now. Do you want to make out a little?" Sara says suggestively.

Ava looks like she's considering it.

"Okay, but only three minutes and don't be offended if I accidentally fall asleep in the middle of it. I really am tired."

Two minutes and one extremely short make out session later, Ava is fast asleep with the baby on her chest and Sara is laying on her side, wide awake and content to watch her favorite girls take their first nap as a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> like i had to name her laurel *shrug emoji*
> 
> also pls if you have prompts like you can send them my way bc i'm literally writing whatever pops into my head.


	3. Martial Arts Master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara and Laurel do some mother-daughter bonding. Ava thinks it's cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about martial arts so like please don't get mad at me lol

There are rarely days where Sara is awake earlier than both her wife and her daughter but when those days occur every so often, she likes to take that time to keep up with her fighting skills. It's not that she doesn't train anymore, it's just that she takes extra precautions training with weapons now that she has a three year old daughter who is endlessly curious and adventurous. She keeps all her weapons out of reach when Laurel is around.

Sara makes sure Ava's still asleep by glancing over to the other side of the bed and kissing her head softly as she gets ready to change into her workout gear. 

She walks into her daughter's room next and runs her hand over Laurel's messy hair.

Once she's checked on her family, she makes her way to the workout room and starts pulling out the various weapons she plans to use. She stretches and then gets to work. 

Sara's only been swinging the staff around and practicing new attacks on the dummy for half an hour when she hears footsteps running toward the room. Turning to the door, she sees Laurel peek her head and smile. 

"Hi, Mama."

"Hi, baby. Are you up?" Sara asks with a smile. 

"Mmhmm."

The girl stood at the door, looking absolutely adorable with her messy dirty blonde hair and still dressed in her Trolls pajamas.

"Want to come in here with me for a little bit? We can let Mommy sleep for a little longer and we'll have fun doing karate!" Sara says.

Sara had been showing Laurel some very basic martial arts moves since the little girl had shown interest in watching her mother fight a few months prior. Ava, surprisingly, had even encourage it, as a way for them to bond, she had said.

"Yeah!" Laurel exclaimed.

"Oops. Let's try to be a little bit quieter or Mommy might hear us." Sara said softly, putting a finger to her lips to keep her daughter from shouting.

"Oops. Sorry, Mama." Laurel said, repeating Sara's finger on her lips gesture. 

"Okay, let's get you changed and we'll come back. I'll be in your room in a minute." Sara said, turning away from the door to start gathering up her weapons to put away.

After Sara had helped Laurel change into more appropriate clothes and grabbing two water bottles from the kitchen, they went back to the workout room and settled on the mat.

"So Miss Laurel, do you remember the first thing we have to do?" Sara asks her daughter.

Laurel looks pensive for a minute, like she's really thinking about the answer before her eyes light up and she half-shouts, "Stretch!"

"Yes, ma'am, that's right! You're so smart! Don't forget that we're trying to be quiet because Mommy needs to sleep." Sara says, praising her daughter.

"Oh yeah." Laurel says, smile on her face.

Sara twists her body to one side and Laurel follows her lead. They go through a couple of other light stretches before standing on the mat and facing each other. 

"You're going to follow me, okay Princess?"

Sara takes up a fighting stance, feet slightly spread, right fist at her hip with the palm up and her left fist straight out palm down. Laurel tries to mimic her as best as she can. Sara takes a moment to correct the little girl's stance before moving back into her own stance.

"Okay, remember what we learned last week? How to punch?" Sara asks.

"Yes!" Laurel responds enthusiastically.

"Let's do it. Me first and then you." Sara says.

She does a center punch slowly, pushing her right fist out and bringing her left fist to rest on her hip, essentially changing the position of her two hands. She does it once more so that Laurel has the chance to see it and copy her.

"Okay. Now you go, Laurel." Sara encourages.

Laurel does a poor but enthusiastic attempt to copy her mother. She is nothing if not an eager child. Laurel smiles up at Sara, who is sporting a giant grin of her own.

"That was so good, baby! Let's try it again."

 

\-----

 

Ava wake up naturally, which is a rare occurrence for her. It's usually an elbow to some part of her body, courtesy of either her wife or child that forces her awake each morning. She blinks slowly as she sits up in bed and begins to get ready for the day.

She's halfway through washing her face when she hears soft grunts coming from down the hall. She knows immediately why she was able to wake up so peacefully that morning.

Deciding to put off changing out of her pajamas, she sneaks down the hall to the workout room and sees her wife and daughter practicing kicks together. Laurel is trying hard to copy Sara as best as she can, a look of concentration present on her little face. It's the cutest thing Ava has ever seen. She takes her phone from the pocket of her sweat pants and discretely takes some pictures. She only realizes she's been caught spying on her two favorite girls when Sara says, "Should we ask Mommy to join us or should we just let her stand there all day?"

Laurel looks from Sara's form to the doorway and her face splits into a smile upon seeing her other mother. She runs over to Ava, who catches her in her arms and lifts her to her hip, pressing kisses into her hair.

"Hi, Mommy!" Laurel says, kissing Ava on the cheek.

"Hi, baby."

"Hey babe." Sara says, walking over to kiss her wife.

"Sometimes I forget that you have like crazy special skills and you can hear me coming from like a mile away." Ava replies, laughter in her voice.

"I'm just that talented." Sara says, faux smug expression on her face.

"Yeah? Well, you and your talent better go shower before breakfast because you stink a little."

Sara smiles, stealing one more kiss from her wife before walking down the hall and disappearing into their bedroom.

"Do I stink too?" Laurel asks.

"Just a little bit, baby. But not as much as your Mama."

"I'm going to tell Mama." Laurel giggles.

"If you don't tell your Mama I said that, I'll let you have chocolate syrup on your pancakes." Ava whispers, as if Sara could hear them.

"Hmm. And some strawberries?" Laurel barters, sending a wide smile at her mother.

"You drive a hard bargain, little lady, but it's a deal." Ava says.

"Deal." Laurel repeats, playfully shaking her mother's hand.

"You are such a Mama's girl." Ava teases as she sets her daughter down to help her pick an outfit and get ready for the day.


	4. Nuggets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava has a craving.

Honestly there isn't much downside to having a pregnant wife so Sara hardly has any reason to complain. Ava is, after all, literally creating a human being in her body. There are, however, some day where Ava is being unreasonable and Sara is pretty sure that today is one of those days. 

"Babe, I literally cannot help you with this." Sara says, trying to keep the exasperation from coming out in her voice. 

Ava had woken up that morning with a craving for chicken nuggets. It's nothing new that Ava experiences cravings every now and then and, for the most part, she or Sara can procure the food within the hour, leaving Ava satisfied. But today was not one of those days because Ava had a craving for the nuggets from Chick-fil-A specifically and it was a Sunday.

"But I want it so bad." Ava groans, annoyance clear in her voice. 

"It's Sunday. You know they aren't open on Sunday. We just have to eat something else and we can go tomorrow." Sara placates.

"There is nowhere in this whole country that where it's open?" Ava asks insistently.

"Oh my god, Ava! None of them are open. I don't know how many other ways I can convey this information to you." Sara says, frustrated.

Ava's face falls and she looks as though she might cry. Sara immediately feels bad.

"Baby, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be frustrated but there's honestly nothing I can do." Sara says, remorse clear on her face. 

"You're frustrated? I'm frustrated because those chicken nuggets are literally the only thing on my mind right now because it's what this baby wants and I'll be thinking about it all day until I can get it!" Ava snaps. 

Sara is taken slightly aback by her wife's words. 

"No, I'm sorry. It's not your fault. I'm just tired and hungry. I didn't mean to snap." Ava says quietly, after a minute.

Sara flops down on the couch next to her wife and sighs. They had been headed towards a fight over something so petty and Sara's happy to have avoided it but the problem is still at hand. She slides her hand in Ava's hand and squeezes.

"I really am sorry that we can't get you those nuggets." Sara says, guilt written all over her face.

Ava just shrugs lightly and stands, "It's fine. I'll just see what we have in the kitchen."

Ava mills around the kitchen for a minute before Sara practically runs in, smile on her face.

"I have an idea."

Ava motions for Sara to continue.

"I did a little searching online and found a recipe that should be pretty close to the Chick-fil-A nuggets that you want. Should we try it?" Sara says.

"Oh my god, I swear I've never loved you more than I do right now." Ava says.

They get to work on the nuggets. Fortunately, they have all the ingredients they need and don't have to waste time going to the grocery store. Ava snacks on some crackers and yogurt while Sara does most of the work. It's not that Ava can't cook, it's just that Sara is the better cook in their family and she's more than happy to just let her wife work while she sits and talks to her. 

Almost an hour and one small accident later, Sara is taking the last of the chicken off the skillet and bringing it over to Ava, who is sitting at the kitchen island.

"Oh, wow, babe, these smell so good." Ava says.

"If you don't like them, I'm gonna cry. I literally burnt myself to make these for you." Sara jokes, rubbing her palm where she accidentally grabbed the pan with her bare hand.

Ava reaches over to grab a small nugget and pops it in her mouth, eyes closing as the taste hits her tongue. 

"This is so good. Thank you." Ava says, before popping another one into her mouth.

Within fifteen minutes, all the nuggets are gone and Ava and Sara head to their room for a short nap. Ava tried for the first couple of months of her pregnancy to avoid taking naps because it messed with her sleep schedule, but seven months in, she's abandoned that policy; being pregnant is really tiring sometimes. 

"Oh my god, Sara. We could have just used the Waverider to go to a different time when Chick-fil-A is open. Oh my god, I feel so stupid for just thinking about this." Ava says, head in her hand. 

Sara narrows her eyes as she turns toward her eye and jokingly says, "I thought you were against using the Waverider for, like, personal gain or whatever."

Ava looks guilty for a second before schooling her face into a neutral expression.

"I don't know what you're talking about. This was an emergency." Ava replies, looking pointedly at her nails.

Sara laughs, "You're so ridiculous. You're lucky I love you."

Ava smiles, "I love you too."

They settle into bed together.

"All jokes aside. No using the Waverider for unprofessional reasons, Sara." Ava says, cutting off her wife with a kiss when Sara opens her mouth to protest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly i had a craving for chick fil a on a sunday once and it was the worst thing that's happened to me so like i can't even imagine what it's like when you're pregnant and you have intense cravings. poor ava.


	5. Babies are Boring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava and Sara find out how boring babies can be.

"I never knew having a baby would be so boring." Ava randomly says.

Sara turns from the baby in her arms to shoot her wife a slightly offended look.

"Did you just call our baby boring?" she asks.

"I just meant that we can't, like, do anything with her. You know I love her, babe, but all she does is eat, sleep, cry, and poop. Like over and over again. It's a little boring." Ava explains.

Sara opens her mouth to argue, but then realizes that her wife is right. Laurel is kind of boring to be around. She loves to be carried by her mothers so one of them always has to be carrying her or Laurel will loudly express her discontent.

"It's just, I thought it would be a little more exciting and adventurous." Ava says.

"That part probably comes later, like when she learns to walk and talk and get becomes a little hellion." Sara laughs.

Ava walks over to Sara and takes Laurel from her arms.

Ava puts on an exaggerated baby voice. "I love you so much munchkin, but I'm going a little crazy just sitting here around the house and watching you sleep." 

"Well, we could go out for a little walk. We could feel like normal people again instead of new, exhausted moms." Sara suggests.

Ava smiles. "Let's do it."

Fifteen minutes later and they are ready for their little family excursion. The weather outside is chilly but the sun is high in the sky and shining down. Sara pushes the stroller down the sidewalk, Ava's arm wrapped around hers. Laurel is quietly snoozing in her stroller, all wrapped up and cozy and suckling her pacifier. 

"Should we go down to the park and sit on the bench a while or should we go to that boba place you like so much?" Sara asks.

"Oooh, I haven't had boba since before Laurel was born. I'm craving it now."

They strolls leisurely as they walk the six blocks it takes to get to the bakery/boba tea place. 

The building is relatively small so Ava opts to put Laurel in the baby carrier and leave the stroller just outside the shop. Laurel fusses a little at being moved from her comfortable position in the stroller but once she's curled into Ava's chest and covered with the blanket, she settles down.

"I can't decide between the passion fruit black tea or the green milk tea. Which should I get?" 

Sara lifts the blanket to peek at her daughter and answers, "Well I'm getting the passion fruit tea so you can get the other one and have some of mine. That way you get both."

"Oh my god, I honestly love you." Ava says.

"Oh, that table just opened up. You go sit down while I order." 

Ava sits back and gently rocks her body to keep her baby from waking. Sara comes to the table, two drinks in hand and sits. They both immediately pierce the top of their cup with the straws and start drinking. They sit back and relax, people watching and conversing with one another. 

Laurel wakes from the short nap she was taking and Sara takes her from the baby carrier and holds her, giving her wife a small break from having the baby. 

"This is just what I needed. Thank you." Ava says sincerely.

"I'm sorry I didn't realize how anxious being cooped up in the house was making you." Sara apologizes.

"No, it's not your fault. I didn't say anything. I just didn't want you thinking that I'm at all unhappy. I'm not, I'm so happy that we have Laurel and that we spend a lot of family time together. It's just, it's a little boring compared to what our lives used to be, you know?" Ava says. 

"I know. We'll just have to wait out her boring phase until she can start, like, talking and stuff, and then it'll be an adventure. She's already got a little personality to her, imagine what it will be like when she can talk back." Sara laughs.

"Oh god, you're so right. Maybe this boring part isn't so bad."

The chat a little while longer, until Ava starts yawning.

"Let's head back?" Sara suggests.

"Yeah."

Ava stands and puts the baby carrier back on and Sara situates the baby in it. They walk out into the cool air, Sara pushing the empty stroller as Ava walks alongside her. Once they reach their place, Ava spreads out on the couch.

"That was enough excitement for one day. Now, I think it's time for a nap." 

Sara agrees. They move to the nursery to put Laurel in one of her sleeping outfits, a light yellow onesie with little daisies that Amaya gifted her. Sara takes the baby as Ava changes into sweatpants and a loose-fitting shirt. Ava returns the favor so Sara can change into a tank top and matching sweats.

They put Laurel's sleeper between both of them in the middle of the bed and carefully place her in it. Then they each lay down on either side of her and watch her sleep. Soon Ava and Sara are asleep as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the inspiration for this chapter came when i babysat for my cousin and i was so bored bc her baby didn't like do anything.


	6. Christmas and Birthday Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara gets a surprise on Christmas/her birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i honestly can't remember if they've made any indication as to whether or not either sara or ava celebrate christmas. but like i hope y'all like this.

In the years before they had Laurel, Sara's birthday, which also happened to be Christmas day, was a day of little celebration. It wasn't that Sara and Ava didn't like the holidays, it's just that it was one of the days that they were guaranteed to have off together so after hanging out with the team on the Waverider in the morning, they spent it doing whatever they wanted.

After Laurel was born, however, they made every effort they could to give their daughter the most magical day of the year, and Sara loved that she got to spend her birthday watching her daughter have the time of her life. 

Christmas Eve was spent walking around the neighborhood at night, taking Laurel to see all the prettily decorated houses, and then watching letting Laurel open one present before she was put to bed. It was one of the only nights that Sara and Ava would allow her to sleep in their bed with them. 

This Christmas Laurel was just about to turn four and, therefore, was much more aware of what a special time Christmas was. For the first three Christmases of her life, she was a little to young to understand what the holidays meant but this year she knew about Santa and all the presents that she would get; which means that she is awake much earlier than previous years and it anxious to get her parents up as well. 

"Mommy." Laurel says, her face inches away from Ava's.

When Ava doesn't respond, she gently pokes her in the nose and calls her again.

"Mommy."

Ava shifts a little in bed and blearily opens her eyes.

"Laurel? What is it, baby?"

"It's Christmas!" Laurel half-shouts, wide grin on her face.

Ava groans a little when she looks at the clock that displays the time, 6:24.

"It is. But don't you want to lay down a little bit longer?" Ava tries, knowing that her daughter won't take the bait.

"No. I want to get up and open presents." Laurel says. 

Ava laughs. Her daughter was straight to the point.

"You'll be tired later." Ava tries again.

"No I won't!" Laurel argues back, frustration starting to seep into her little voice.

"If we wake up now, you have to take a nap in the afternoon; no arguing and no crying, okay?" Sara says, head still smashed against her pillow where she's laying on the other side of Laurel.

Laurel turns her head to look at her mother, contemplating her answer. After a few seconds, "Okay."

"Okay, you heard her. Mommy, it's time to get up." Sara says, stretching as she gets out from under the blanket. 

Ava, too, stretches as she gets up. She reaches across the bed to pull Sara in for a quick kiss and a soft "Happy birthday, babe." before she walks over to the drawer and pulls out a sweater to put on and throws one Sara's way.

"Let me go put a sweater on your little dictator of a child while you make the hot chocolate." Ava says, picking Laurel up from the bed and walking out the room.

Once everyone is warm with a cup of hot chocolate in their hands, the little family sits around the tree.

"Before we start opening presents, isn't there something you want to say to Mama, Laurel?" Ava says.

Laurel looks confused for a second before she launches herself into Sara's arms and yells "Happy birthday, Mama!"

Sara's face lights up at the hug she receives from her daughter. She pulls Laurel to sit on her lap as Ava begins to pass out the presents that are underneath the tree. 

\-----

Half an hour later and Laurel has tore through all her presents, among them some outfits from Amaya, some toys from Zari, some tech stuff from Ray that she probably can't use until she's older, as well as some clothes and toys that Ava and Sara and 'Santa' gifted her. 

Laurel is showing off some of her new toys when Ava pulls her daughter to her, hugging her.

"Did you like your presents, baby?" 

"Yeah! Can you open this please?" Laurel asks, handing Ava a box with an action figure in it. 

"I'll open that in a minute." Ava replies.

"Mommy, please?" Laurel whines.

"In a minute. I have one more gift for you. Do you want to open that?" 

Ava grabs a box that was hiding deep behind the tree. Laurel lights up and before she can grab the box, Ava holds it out of her reach.

"It's a present for you and for Mama, so you have to open it together. Go with Mama."

Sara takes the box from Ava's outstretched hand and waits for Laurel to sit in her lap before they start removing the wrapping paper together. The box contains a shirt, clearly meant for Laurel. Sara lifts the shirt from the box and sits there in slight shock and awe, mouth opening and closing several times. Ava has tears in her eyes. Laurel is vaguely confused.

"Do you know what that says, baby?" Ava asks.

"Mommy, I can't read." Laurel says, confused.

"No, but Mama can. Ask her what it says."

"What does it say!" Laurel shouts.

Sara is looking at Ava, unshed tears in her eyes. She turns to her daughter and shows her the shirt. 

"It says 'I'm a big sister!'" Sara tells her daughter, voice thick with emotion. 

Sara looks over at Ava, question in her eyes, seeking confirmation from her wife. Ava nods.

"Yeah?" 

"Yeah." 

Sara gently moves Laurel to the couch as she moves over to Ava. She pulls her wife in for a tight hug, both with tears falling from their eyes. They only started trying to have another baby a few months ago, but it seems that the procedure worked. Sara wanted Laurel to grow up with a sibling like she had and Ava wanted that too. 

"I love you so much, Ava. This is the best Christmas and birthday gift I've ever gotten." 

Sara and Ava sit together in each other's embrace before turning to look at Laurel, who was still sitting on the couch.

"What do you think about that, Laurel?" Sara asks, wiping away her tears. 

"I'm going to have a baby sister?" Laurel asks in return.

Ava laughs.

"I don't know if the baby is going to be a girl. But yes, we're going to have a new baby in the family." Ava says.

Laurel's eyes widen in excitement, mouth turning up into a smile. 

"Can I play with her?" Laurel asks.

"Of course! When she's older, you can play all kinds of games." Ava answers.

Laurel glances over to Sara, "Mama?"

"Yes, princess?"

"Is the baby going to live here?"

Sara laughs.

"Yes." Sara replies, amused.

"Oh." Laurel says. She sits quietly for a few seconds. "Okay."

"Glad you're on board, little lady." Ava says.

"But Mama?"

"Yes, Laurel?" Sara turns to give her daughter her full attention.

"I'm still princess?" Laurel asks, shyly.

Sara hugs her daughter tightly to her chest and kisses her forehead. 

"Of course! You'll always be my princess." Sara says, rubbing her hand down Laurel's back as the girl rests her body fully on Sara's, head on Sara's shoulder.

"Okay." Laurel answers, slightly more excitement in her voice.

"Okay." Sara copies her daughter.

Laurel starts rubbing her face gently as her eyelids start to droop. She snuggles a little more into Sara's embrace.

"Maybe it's time for your nap." Ava says, pushing Laurel's blonde hair from her face and gently caressing her cheek.

Laurel is unable to resist as she loses her fight to tiredness and slips into a light sleep.

Sara picks her up and helps Ava up. They make their way to their bedroom. Sara places Laurel in the middle of the bed and the two parents climb in on either side of her.

"Are you happy, Sara?" Ava asks a little later, when they're on the cusp of a nap.

Sara lifts her head to look at her wife before gently placing it back on the pillow.

"I'm the happiest I've ever been." 

Sara then moves from her side of the bed to slide in behind Ava, hands coming to rest on her still flat abdomen. 

"Merry Christmas and happy birthday, my love." Ava says as she settles in Sara's embrace.

Soon all three members of the Lance family are napping, all satisfied with their Christmas surprises.


	7. Best Wife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava is certain that she has the best wife in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk y'all. i'm just writing what comes to my mind now. if you have any requests, let me know and i'll try to write it.

Ava is 100% sure that she has the best wife in the universe; someone who loves her and their daughter with all her being.

Before they had Laurel, Sara proved this by being there for Ava when she found out she was a clone, by continuing to love her despite what Ava saw as a major deal-breaker for any relationship she'd ever have, by actively choosing to spend her life with Ava and coming home to her every night that she could. 

After Laurel was born, Sara proved it even more by being there with her every step of the way, experiencing all the firsts, pleasant and unpleasant, and by being someone their daughter could look up to and love unconditionally.

Now that Ava was pregnant with their second child, she is reminded of how amazing her wife is. 

During her first trimester, Ava had had pretty terrible morning sickness. She hadn't had it often when she was pregnant with Laurel so it came as a little bit of a shock this time around. Sara would get up with her in the middle of the night when she would run to the bathroom and hold back Ava's long hair and rub her back. Then she would run to the kitchen to get some ginger ale to help Ava wash away the taste of vomit and wait with Ava until she brushed her teeth and returned to bed. 

Sara would also do little things that she knew would make Ava feel better, like give her foot and back massages or make her favorite food combination of the week, no matter how disgusting she thought it was. She was also willing to do the less desirable things like handle Laurel when she caught a nasty stomach bug and was sick for days. 

Ava is sure that if she googles the phrase 'perfect wife', it would just be pictures of Sara.

She is interrupted from thoughts of her wife when she hears someone trying to get her attention.

"Earth to Ava."

"What?" Ava says, clearly distracted.

"We were having a conversation when you just zoned out on me here." Zari says.

Ava turns and focuses her attention on Zari. They had been talking about the coolest thing that they had each seen in their time working at the Time Bureau and the Waverider.

"Oh, sorry. I really was listening." Ava apologizes.

"I know. And then Sara got into your line of sight and you stopped listening to me and practically just stared at her with heart eyes for like the last two minutes." Zari laughs.

Ava blushes. How could she not get distracted by her wonderful wife?

"Go be with Sara, you lovestruck fool. You're making me sick." Zari says playfully, giving Ava an out.

Ava touches Zari's arm as she moves to make her way to where Sara is standing with Laurel in her arms.

"Hey, babe." Sara says when Ava reaches her. 

"Hey, I was just missing you." Ava says, kissing Sara briefly and putting her hand on Laurel's back.

They were at a park in Star City celebrating the third birthday of Ray and Nora's son, Henry.

Sara and Ava have a brief conversation about making Laurel wear a jacket when the birthday boy walks up to them and taps Ava's leg. She looks down at the little boy.

"Can Laurel play with me?" Henry asks, flashing Ava an adorable smile.

Sara shakes her body a little to get Laurel's attention.

"Do you want to play with Henry?" Sara asks her daughter. She smiles when her daughter nods enthusiastically. 

As soon as she puts Laurel down, she watches them link hands and run down to the playground, Laurel immediately telling Henry the rules to a game she definitely just made up.

"She's so bossy. She clearly got that from you." Sara laughs.

Ava playfully hits Sara's arm. 

They stand there for a few minutes just watching the kids play before Ava starts to kneed her own back with one of her hands. At seven months, she was feeling pretty big and she could definitely feel the strain of being pregnant, especially on her back. 

Sara notices immediately and goes to hug Ava from behind, putting her hands underneath Ava's stomach and lifting it ever so slightly to support the bump and giving Ava's back some relief. Ava moans in satisfaction.

"You feeling okay, baby?" Sara asks, mouth directly next to Ava's ear.

"I am now." 

"Good."

"How do you know exactly what I need before I even have to say it?" Ava asks, head turning slightly to try to look at Sara.

"I pay attention. Also, I'm the world's best wife." Sara jokes.

"I love you." Ava responds, knowing that truer words had never been spoken.

"I love you too."

They stand like that for a couple more minutes until the sound of a picture being taken is heard. They both turn towards the noise to see Amaya looking slightly guilty.

"Come on. You should see you guys. You're so cute." Amaya defends, walking over to show the blondes the picture she had taken.

"She's got a point." Ava says at the same time as Sara says, "Send it to me please."

The three women laugh. 

Laurel comes barreling over to them a second later. 

"Amaya! Will you come get ice cream and cake with me?" Laurel practically shouts. 

"If your moms say it's okay."

Ava and Sara have two pairs of puppy eyes turn towards them. Sara and Ava turn to look at each other, seemingly having a silent conversation before they turn back to their friend and daughter.

"Fine. But only one scoop and a little slice of cake because you already had some." Ava says. 

"Okay, Mommy!" Laurel says, before grabbing Amaya's hand and running to the table where cake was being served.

"She's definitely not going down tonight without a fight." Ava says to Sara.

"Yeah. I'll deal with it though. You did it last time." Sara responds, removing herself from her position behind Ava and walking over to the table to lightly scold her teammate when she sees Zari try to sneakily serve Laurel a big piece of cake.

\-----

Just as predicted, Laurel was slightly more difficult to convince to go to sleep that night and Sara, true to her word, went to deal with that issue while Ava completed her nightly routine to get ready for bed. 

Once she's done, she looks for her phone to set an alarm but can't find it. She grabs Sara's phone to set the alarm and notices that she changed her background to the picture that Amaya had taken of them earlier at the party. She gets a good look at the picture and realizes how in love with one another they look. She places Sara's phone down on the bed and waits for her wife to return from putting Laurel down for the night.

Once Sara comes back and climbs into bed, Ava is immediately hugging her. Sara doesn't miss a beat and hugs her back. 

"What's up?" Sara asks, a little surprised by the hug.

"Nothing, I just love you." Ava says, placing a small kiss on Sara's lips.

They turn to their regular sleeping positions, Ava laying on her right side, a pillow under her bump for support, and Sara next to her, sleeping on her stomach, but her left hand stretched out to rest on Ava's stomach. Ava falls asleep that night thinking about how lucky she is to be married to Sara, the best wife in the world.


	8. Teddy Bears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava is more than happy to share some special childhood experiences with Laurel.

Ava is more than happy to share certain childhood experiences with Laurel. Seeing as she was never technically a child, Ava never lived through certain experiences that come with being a kid. 

For example, the first time that she and Sara took Laurel to the zoo to see the animals, Ava enjoyed it just as much, or even more than, Laurel did. 

She spent the while time carrying a then two year old Laurel around with her and holding her as close to the glass as they could get so they could get the best view of the animals. She went into the smelly petting zoo with the little girl and her smile threatened to split her face in two when one of the goats pushed its head into her hand for a pet. She even had the time of her life feeding a giraffe some food from the palm of her hand. It was a magical day for both of Sara's girls.

Ava was excited to be able to live through these experiences that she never dreamed that she would have; she once told Sara that she saw it as sort of a second chance. And as such, Sara did her best to make sure that her wife and her daughter did all the exciting things that she herself had done as a kid. One such thing was making their very own stuffed animal at what was one of Sara's places when she was young, before she turned into a punk: Build a Bear.

Now that Ava is eight and half months pregnant and practically due at any time, there was a limit on the fun things Sara could take Ava and Laurel to do, so she decides that that will be their fun adventure for the day. She just has to wait for her family to wake up.

Two hours, one run and a shower later, and her two girls are awake. 

"Hey, babe. How long have you been up?" Ava says, turning towards Sara as she walks out of the bathroom.

"A couple hours." 

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You looked comfortable. I know you don't get much sleep these days." Sara says, putting her hand over where she can see the outline of a foot on Ava's bump.

"God, no. Your little monster is keeping me awake more and more." Ava sighs.

Sara moves closer to Ava and puts her hand to the side of her mouth as though to tell a secret and says, "Don't listen to Mommy. She's just grumpy."

Ava snorts.

Sara continues, "Anyway, I think I might have a surprise that will make her feel better."

"Oooh, what kind of surprise?" Ava asks.

"You're just going to have to wait and find out."

"What? Come on! Tell me." 

"Nope. My lips are sealed." Sara laughs.

"You're no fun. Please tell me." 

Ava puts on a little pout but Sara doesn't budge.

"The quicker you give up on trying to get the surprise out of me and get ready for the day, the quicker you'll know what the surprise is. I'm going to get Laurel ready and we'll leave right after!" Sara says as she leaves the room.

A short half hour later and all three members of the Lance family are ready to go. 

"So what's the plan?" Ava asks.

"Breakfast and then your surprise!" 

\-----

After a breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes and eggs at their favorite diner, they head to the shopping outlet near their house and end up at Build a Bear.

"This is where we're going?" Ava asks, looking skeptically into the store.

"Yup!" Sara responds, struggling to keep an excited Laurel in her arms.

"Hmm. I've never had a teddy bear before."Ava says. 

"I know. So we're going to get you one today." Sara says.

"And me too, Mama?" Laurel says, hope written on her face.

"And you too, Princess."

The little family walks around and looks at all the bears on display. Laurel sticks her hand in every one of the bins to feel the fur on each of the stuffed animals. 

"I want this one." Laurel says, picking out a light pink bear that has dark pink hearts all over it.

"Nice choice, baby." Sara says, "Which one are you getting, babe?"

"Am I boring if I get a regular, old fashioned one? I've just never had one before and I kind of just want a traditional bear." Ava says.

"Nah, it'll be perfect for you. Like I said, we're getting you a teddy bear today so you can pick out whatever you want." 

"Okay, I'm ready." Ava says, as she picks a classic light brown bear with shaggy fur.

An employee leads to them over to a tall machine in the middle of the room that's filled with fluff.

"Do you want to do the ceremony separately or together?" the employee, a teenage girl, asks.

"Do it with me Mommy!" Laurel tells Ava.

"We'll do it together." Ava tells the girl.

"Okay, so first we're going to fill your bears and then you're going to choose a heart."

Ava and Laurel watch in fascination as their bears are filled with fluff from the machine and quickly take shape.

The girl then makes them choose a heart to put into the bear. Once chosen, the girl makes them go through the little routine that Sara remembers well; it starts with them rubbing the heart over their heart so their respective bears can always feel their love and ends with Ava and Laurel closing their eyes, making a wish, and kissing the heart before the girl places each heart into the appropriate animals.

Sara can tell that Ava feels a little ridiculous doing this little routine, but she can also see the excitement and wonder of a child in Ava's face.

"Mama, look!" Laurel shouts at Sara, shoving her bear in her mother's face.

"Very cute. Should we pick out some clothes for her?" Sara asks, picking up both Laurel and her bear.

"Yeah! Come on, Mommy!"

Laurel decides on a strawberry costume for her bear. It comes with a little strawberry stem hat that Sara finds particularly cute. Ava goes with a much more practical, but no less cute, choice of a blue pajama onesie decorated with a dinosaur print.

"Okay, let's name them and take them home." Sara says.

"I'm going to name mine Micky." Laurel says, no room for discussion. Somehow, Mick had become her favorite person to hang out with whenever she was on the Waverider; it was a mystery to both her mothers, as well as everyone on the team. 

"I'm sure your uncle Mick would love that you named your bear after him, Princess." Sara says.

"What's the name of your bear, Mommy?" Laurel asks.

"I don't know. What do you think, baby?"

Laurel appears to be deep in thought.

"What about Rocky? Like uncle Mick's favorite movie!" Laurel exclaims.

Ava hears Sara mutter "Why does she like Mick so much?" under her breath, but Ava actually thinks it's a good, solid name for her bear.

"That's very cute, Laurel. I think I will pick that name!" Ava says.

After the bears have been named and paid for, the trio heads back home. Once inside their house, Sara announces that it's nap time.

"No! I want to play with Micky." Laurel pouts.

"You can bring her to our room and nap with her and then play after you sleep for a little bit. I saw you yawning in the car, I know you're a little tired." Ava says.

"Okay." Laurel says, sadly.

Ava retreats to the bedroom and makes herself comfortable on the bed, phone in one hand and Rocky in the other. 

As she waits for Sara and Laurel to make their way to her room, she sits and thinks about all the fun things she missed out by not being a kid. But then she also thinks about all the things that Sara has done so that she can make up as many of those magical experiences as she can as an adult and she falls in love with her wife all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> getting build a bears was like the highlight of my life as a child.
> 
> ava's bear: https://www.buildabear.com/timeless-teddy/026433.html?cgid=stuffed-animals#start=1  
> https://www.buildabear.com/blue-dinosaur-sleeper/026148.html?cgid=clothing  
> laurel's bear: https://www.buildabear.com/pink-hearts-bear/025477.html?cgid=stuffed-animals  
> https://www.buildabear.com/chocolate-covered-strawberry-costume-2-pc./025509.html?cgid=clothing


	9. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The newest Lance is here.

"I can't believe you convinced me to go through this again." Ava says after experiencing a particularly strong contraction.

"You convinced me! I believe you said that you wanted Laurel to experience, and I quote, 'the same bond that you and your Laurel shared'." Sara replies, laughter creeping into her voice.

Ava frowns.

"I did say that, didn't I?" she says, defeated.

"You did." Sara says. She smooths Ava's hair back from her damp neck.

"Well, I'll remember that for when they're fighting."

"Aw, come on! They'll love each other. Maybe they'll have some fights here and there but they'll be happy to have each other."

"Laurel better be happy to have a sister if I have to do this again." Ava groans.

Seven hours earlier, Ava noticed that she was beginning to have contractions. She told Sara but they decided to wait because when Ava was in labor with Laurel, her contractions took the whole night to progress to the point where it was necessary to go to the hospital. This time, however, it proceeded rather quickly and within two hours of the start of the contractions, Sara and Ava were checked in and put into the birthing room. Laurel was, with slight difficulty and some crying, left on the Waverider with Zari, Amaya, and Mick watching over her while they waited for the newest member of the Lance family to make an appearance.

Now, Ava and Sara were just waiting for Ava to hit that coveted 10 cm dilation and she was so very close.

"How can I help you right now, baby?" Sara says as she sits behind Ava and holds tight to her wife's hands.

"Can you come in front of me and just hold me?" Ava says, exhaustion clear in her face and tone of voice.

Sara moves down to the bottom of the bed and kneels, arms open and waiting for her wife. Ava manages to get into a similar kneeling position and hooks her arms around Sara's neck as Sara's arms come up under Ava's armpits and link around her back. She leans as much as she possibly can into her wife and relaxes slightly as she feels Sara's hands kneading her back. She revels in the slight relief that the new position gives her aching back. 

Sara begins to sway them slightly. She holds Ava up through the contractions that now seem to be coming every two minutes. Ava's never been so happy that Sara is so strong until this moment.

"You are so perfect, you know that?" Ava says, clinging onto Sara after another contraction.

"Well, I'm getting off pretty easy here. You're the one doing all the hard work. I just want to make it as easy for you as I possibly can." Sara says.

"I love you so much."

Sara tilts her face down for a kiss. She goes in for a second kiss when they're interrupted by the door to their room opening.

"Hello, ladies. Let's see if you're all ready to push, Ava." Emily, the same doctor present at the birth of Laurel, says.

She snaps a glove on and checks to see if Ava has finally reached that magical 10 centimeters.

"Good news, you can start pushing."

Ava sighs in relief. 

"Can I stay up like this?" Ava asks the doctor.

"As long as your wife can hold you up, I have no problem with that position." 

"I got you, babe."

The first hour nothing really seems to be progressing. Ava is pushing, Sara is holding her up, and the doctor keeps telling her when to push. At the start of the second hour, she finally starts to feel some movement.

"Come on, baby. Come out." Ava says to herself. Sara can only hear it because they're so close to each other. She kisses her wife's sweaty, red face. They place their foreheads together and Sara guides Ava through the correct breathing exercises. 

"Okay, Ava, here comes the head. Push until I tell you to stop." the doctor informs them.

"Oh, thank god." Ava says. Sara can feel when she starts pushing and holds her weight as much as she possibly can. She watches as her daughter's head slips out. Ava feels it too and removes one of her hands from Sara's back to reach down and cradle the baby's head. 

"You're going to take a small break and then we're going to start again. This is probably going to be the worst of the pain but once the baby's shoulders are out, it'll be smooth sailing from there, okay?" Emily says.

Ava nods. 

"Okay, here we go."

Sara watches as Ava goes even redder in the face as she bears down with all her might, their baby girl slipping out more and more until she lands in the waiting hands of the doctor. Ava lets out a loud exhalation once the baby leaves her body. She shifts off of her knees and lays down on the bed, spent. 

"Here you go, moms." the doctor says as she puts the newborn baby onto Ava's stomach. 

Ava immediately reaches down to bring her child closer to her. She has tears in her eyes as she looks at the crying baby. 

"She looks just like Laurel did." Sara says, putting her hand on her daughter's tiny back, tears falling freely down her face.

The two women take in their newborn daughter, all her tiny features and her red little face, and they fall in love with her immediately. The baby is still screaming from having just been born but to them, the sound was just as lovely as when they'd heard it coming out of Laurel's mouth four years earlier. 

After the baby has quieted down and is resting in her mother's arms, the nurses come over to take her to the other side of the room so they can perform all the tests.

"Go with her. I don't want her to be alone. I'll be fine here." Ava says, waving Sara away to do all the necessary testing.

Sara goes with the baby. They allow her to put on the little girl's first diaper and hold her while they do all the appropriate tests. Sara takes special precaution as she swaddles her daughter, marveling at the baby's fingers and toes and running a light finger over splotchy skin, before she walks the baby back over to Ava.

"Should we call the Waverider and tell them that she's here?" Sara asks.

"Give it a little time. I just want to stay here with her for a while longer. Then we'll bring Laurel in to meet her." Ava replies, eyes gazing lovingly at the baby in her arms. Sara nods in consent.

"Do you still think the name fits her?"

"I think so."

"Perfect." Sara concurs, then turning her attention to the baby girl and gently stroking her chubby cheek she says, "Hello, Theodora. It's nice to finally meet you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you @Soleil_owl for the name suggestion like way back in the first chapter. 
> 
> please drop some prompts for me if you have any and i'll try to write them!!


	10. First Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel meets her baby sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i disappeared for like two weeks.

Introducing Theodora to Laurel goes better than either Sara or Ava imagine it would. After Ava had gotten a few hours of rest and after the two mothers spend some time with their newborn daughter, Sara calls Amaya and lets her know that it's a good time to bring Laurel over.

When Laurel and Amaya arrive, Sara meets them outside the door to the room. As soon as the little girl sees her mother, she runs over to her and Sara drops to her knees to catch Laurel in a bear hug. 

As Amaya catches up to them, Sara motions her to go see Ava and the baby as she stays outside to have a little talk with Laurel.

"Hey, Princess. I missed you so much." Sara says, lifting Laurel in her arms as she stands up from the floor.

"Missed you, Mama." Laurel says as she buries her face in Sara's neck and hugs her harder.

Sara shakes the girl in her arms gently to get her attention. "Guess what?" Sara says with happiness in her voice, hoping to spread some of that emotion with her older daughter. 

"Sister!" Laurel answers.

"Your sister is here! Are you excited? Do you want to see her?" 

Laurel looks at Sara for a moment before shyly nodding her head.

"We have to be really careful because she's really small. You have to be gentle when you hold her and touch her and kiss her, okay? You have to be careful with Mommy too." Sara says, holding Laurel at eye level so the girl knows that she's serious.

"Okay, Mama!"

"Let's go inside." 

Sara sets Laurel down and holds her hand out for the girl to take. She opens the door slowly and sees Amaya talking with Ava while she holds the newborn.

"Mommy!" Laurel whisper-shouts. She lets go of Sara's hand and runs up to the bed before stopping and looking back at Sara, "Can I hug Mommy?"

Ava laughs gently, slowly leaning over the bed to pick her daughter up and places her softly at her side, arms aching to hold Laurel.

"Hi baby." Ava says, hugging Laurel tightly to her.

Laurel leans into the embrace, arms as far around her mother as they can go. She had missed having her parents with her and was content to just sit there with them.

"Do you want to meet your sister?" Ava asks, hand soothingly rubbing up and down the little girl's back.

Laurel just nods but makes no move to leave her mother's embrace.

Sara carefully takes the baby from Amaya's arms and walks over to the bed.

"Laurel, you have to let go of Mommy if you want to see the baby." Sara says.

Laurel detaches herself from Ava and moves into a kneeling position as Sara brings the baby closer. Laurel stares at her sister and reaches out a finger to gently lay it on one of Theodora's hand that is peeking out from the edge of the blanket that she's wrapped up in.

"She's small." is the only thing Laurel says. The adults in the room laugh softly.

"You were that small once too." Ava says.

Laurel turns her head to look at her mother, confused, "Really?"

"Yup."

Laurel moves her finger to gingerly rub her sister's chubby cheeks. The baby moves at the touch, causing Laurel to quick pull her hand back.

"It's okay, Princess." Sara says. 

"Do you want to hold her?" Ava asks.

Laurel looks skeptically at the baby. She nods.

"Sit here in my lap, gently please." 

Ava helps her daughter carefully climb onto her lap. She arranges Laurel's arms into the proper position, with hers just underneath for extra support and motions for Sara to bring Theodora over to them.

"Remember, be careful and don't let go of her." Sara says as she puts the baby in her daughter's arms. Laurel holds her breath for a moment and just looks down at the newborn. The two of them look very similar, from the shade of their blonde hair down to the little dimple in their chins, courtesy of Sara. 

"Do you want to give her a little kiss?" Sara asks, interrupting Laurel's concentrated stare.

"Yeah!" Laurel says excitedly.

She leans down carefully and places the smallest of kisses on her baby sister's cheek. Sara snaps a quick photographic reminder of the sweet moment. It's definitely going up in her office. 

The peaceful atmosphere of the room lasts for another minute before Laurel learns about the less exciting parts of having a baby sister.

"She smells a little." Laurel says, curling her nose and moving her face away from the baby. Just as Laurel says it, Theodora starts to whine and moves to break out of her swaddle. 

Ava gently takes the baby from her older daughter's arms as the baby starts sharply crying. Laurel has a scared look on her face.

"I didn't mean to make her cry." Laurel says, eyes starting to fill with tears to match her sister.

"It's not your fault. She just needs a changing." Ava concludes after checking the baby's diaper. She hands Theo off to Sara to get changed and puts a comforting hand at Laurel's back.

"She cries so loud." Laurel states, covering her ears.

"She can't talk yet so she cries to let us know when she needs something." Ava explains.

Laurel eyes the baby with slightly less enthusiastic eyes than earlier and let's out a soft "Oh."

Ava and Sara make eye contact and break into quiet laughter. Their life is definitely going to get more interesting as Laurel and Theo grow up together.


End file.
